Paracetamol, and also other pain medicines such as ibuprofen (you might know it as Nurofen), block the formation of prostaglandins.Marcella Cheng/The Conversation, CC BY-ND

At the place where pain starts, such as a sore throat, a burnt finger or a broken arm, a lot of chemicals are made and released. These chemicals make you feel pain and also make your body send more blood flowing to the painful area. This is why the painful area is often red and swollen.

The extra blood flowing to the area includes white blood cells – special parts of our blood that fight disease. These white blood cells bring important chemicals. One of these chemicals goes by the name of “prostaglandin”. It increases pain and inflammation (swelling).

Paracetamol, and also other pain medicines such as ibuprofen (you might know it as Nurofen), stop your body from making prostaglandins.

When you swallow some paracetamol, it dissolves in your tummy and most of it is absorbed into your blood. The paracetamol then travels around the body to reach both the painful spot and your brain, where it then starts to reduce the feeling of pain.

Paracetamol is very safe if the dose taken over 24 hours (that’s one day and one night) is kept below a maximum amount. It is very important not to take too much paracetamol, as it can be very dangerous if you take too much.

So make sure to never, ever take paracetamol without being sure that the dose has been checked by an adult who has read the instructions on the box. Otherwise you could take too much and get very sick or even die.

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